UEFA Europa Conference League |

12.10.2022

Preview of the top match against Villarreal

Four days after the derby win, Austria will host Spanish top club Villarreal at Viola Park on Thursday at 18:45 (live on Sky Sport Austria & ORF 1). After the 0:5 in Valencia the week before, the Violets want to cause a surprise in front of their own fans.

GEPA

After the derby victory, with which Austria remains unbeaten at the Allianz Stadium (opened in 2016) of the city rival, coach Manfred Schmid gave his team time off from training on Monday. The success in Hütteldorf not only released great emotions immediately after the final whistle, but also left a lasting impression:

"My first derby win as coach was a very nice experience for me, I won't forget the day so quickly and will always remember it fondly. The derby win meant everything to us as a team - we won one of the most important games of the season: for us as a team, for the fans and for the city. We have gained self-confidence," says coach Manfred Schmid.

Find balance & stand better defensively than in Valencia

The preparation for Villarreal has been running since Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning the Violets completed their final training session at the stadium. UEFA has already taken over the Viola Park and branded it, there is already a European Cup flair in Vienna-Favoriten. The coaching team took some lessons from the 5-0 defeat in Valencia:

"It became even clearer that we are playing against an absolute top opponent. If we give Villarreal spaces, then it is impossible for us to defend. We have to find a certain balance to play forward. You saw that we created chances in Valencia, but unfortunately we didn't take advantage of them. Defensively, we have to be better than we were in the away game and we can't let them get so high up front," Schmid said.

Group constellation

Villarreal lead Group C with nine points ahead of Lech (4), Beer Scheva (2) and Austria (1). Everyone plays against everyone else. The parallel match Beer Scheva vs Lech will be played at 21:00 in Israel.

"The chance for second place is alive, we will do everything for it. We have a plan in place for the game against Villarreal and we are convinced: if everything comes together and we have a lucky run of games, we can take something with us."

Personnel news

Lukas Mühl (groin problem) and Marvin Martins (knee complaint) were unable to attend the final training session and are questionable for Thursday. Matan Baltaxa, who played his first half in purple for the Young Violets last week, was present, as was 21-year-old attacking winger Ibrahima Dramé.